Hickory Nut Mountain Road

Drove this trail a few days ago from West to East on my way into Hot Springs. The end of the trail (where I started) near the overlook is steep, rocky, and has a big ledge that needs to be navigated to complete the drive. I would expect stock vehicles to struggle with this last section and unfortunately turning around isn't an option at that point in the trail. Since I drove it (backwards) I was able to go down the final ledge instead of up it which kept this trail at a 3 difficulty. If I had driven it from east to west as suggested I would rank the last section as a 4 difficulty especially in wet conditions. After I started the trail, the first section was really steep downhill as I had to navigate through the woods traversing rocky and uneven terrain. In a Gen 2 Sequoia this became difficult purely due to size and had the occasional bump on some rocks on the way down. In hindsight I should've gone even slower. Once I got halfway through the trail it became easy as I found myself back on maintained gravel roads. If I did it again I'd do it from west to east and would take a minute at the lookout before starting to let some air out of my tires for better control and puncture resistance on the way down.

Was able to get out today and try out the new lift and tires on the truck. Airing down wasn't an option today so the ride up the side of the mountain in the rocks was really bumpy but still had a great time.

There are two ways to get to the top of the mountain and the incredible vista of Lake Ouachita. From the east end at Crystal Springs or the west end, several miles to the west. If you are in a passenger car, definitely take the west end. The dirt road is wide and smooth to the top. But considering you are on this website, you and your four-wheel drive vehicle are going to approach the top from the east end. That was the route for me and my Toyota FJ. Plan to take some time to stop at the low water bridge to enjoy the creek. Great scenery on both sides, including a small waterfall. There is also a faucet set in stone here on the flat part. People were stopped filling up water jugs. I’m not sure what the water source is. Once you start up the mountain, the road gets a bit more challenging. There are dips which are fun and loose rocks along the trail. I did put it in four-wheel drive for the ascent. The view to your left of the mountains across the valley are nice and when you get to the top, you are rewarded with an amazing view of Lake Ouachita. It has to be one of the best scenes in southwest Arkansas. Spend sometime and enjoy! Headed back down, you can continue through the parking lot and down the smooth way, or go back down the way you came.

Road from Hwy.270 to Lake Ouachita vista is a little bumpy in places, but still a good gravel road that even passenger cars can navigate. Take the trails through the gate at the far end of the vista parking to wind down side of mountain to the Lake. Narrow, steep & rocky in places,

Ran this trail with a group of Jeeps. Everyone had a great time. All of the waypoints are still spot on. I recommend airing down your tires just a bit if you have the capability. Mostly more for comfort than traction because it does get bumpy. The view from the top is always outstanding. The view on a clear night with a full moon is beautiful.

Nice trail, just as described! The waypoint descriptions are nice and my co-pilot (11yo son) used them to make sure we were on the right track. Next time we go, I'm going to explore some of the trails that you pass on the way up. I was glad I took a few minutes to air down my tires before i got too far in. Some of the rocky sections are on the longer side with medium-sized loose rocks. It gets pretty bumpy, and would have been worse at full pressure. I'm not sure I needed 4Low on the day I was out there (not too much mud), but it sure was easier on my truck as I just slowly crawled thru the more difficult sections. This was our 2nd trail from the site. Next on the list are the trails further east, over by Lake Winona.

Good trail, plan to spend time at the creek just chilling, it was very pretty and the water was cool and nice to take a minute to take it in. Once the trail starts going up it gets very bumpy, but don't let that keep you from this trail. The view at the top is WELL worth the bumps. There are also lots of trails off of this trail to explore, but most of them are side by side trails with width issues for a jeep or something larger. We did camp at the top, free spots, first come first serve. The bathrooms were closed however, there are bathrooms at the stores to the east once at the bottom of the mountain.

This was a fun ride. I did it in my stock jeep gladiator. Starts out smooth but when you get off and start going up it gets sketchy. Definitely agree with the rating. Glad I had some under armour.

We loved the scenery along the trail, and as mentioned by others, the view at the Vista is pretty incredible!

I really enjoyed this trial run. I really appreciated having the trail head GPS coordinates to make sure we started in the right spot. I also like how close it is to Hot Springs.

Good little trek! Made the whole trip in a little under and hour, We stopped a few times, but the view at the top is worth the drive!